Seven mute during speaker vote

CARSON CITY -- There are only 14 Republicans in the Assembly, representing just one-third of its members. But a ceremonial vote in Monday's special session revealed that even they are far from unified.

You couldn't tell it by sitting in the Assembly chamber, where the voice vote reconfirming Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, as the body's speaker sounded unanimous.

But seven GOP lawmakers later issued a news release stating that they abstained from the vote, staging a silent protest against what they see as Buckley's liberal agenda.

The seven were led by Republican Assemblyman Ty Cobb of Reno, who in 2007 caused a stir when he went against legislative tradition to vote "nay" on Buckley's ascension as the first female speaker in Nevada history.

The release announcing the abstentions billed the dissenting group as the "Assembly Conservative Caucus." On the other hand, Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, stood to second the nomination of Buckley, and confirmed later that she voted for the speaker.

The division appeared to show a difference among Assembly Republicans about the role of their tiny minority. Should they stand in ineffective opposition, since there are not enough of them to block even legislation that requires a two-thirds supermajority? Or should they try to participate in a bipartisan consensus, even though critics might call them quiescent?

"In this state, we've been too compliant," Cobb said about Republicans. That, he suggested, is why the GOP suffered a bloodbath in November's general election.

Asked whether that was a criticism of Gansert's leadership, he said, "I don't want to speak for her. There are some people in the caucus who want to be more aggressive, to stand on principle."

In addition to Cobb, the abstainers were Republican Assemblymen Chad Christensen, John Hambrick and Richard McArthur of Las Vegas, Don Gustavson of Sparks, Ed Goedhart of Amargosa Valley, and James Settelmeyer of Gardnerville.

Cobb said he has little hope that conservative legislation will ever make it out of the Assembly. Instead, he said, Republican members should make a case for their ideals that they can then take to voters, in the hopes of ousting Democrats from their offices.

But he said the Republicans abstained rather than voting "no" because they didn't want to be perceived as disrespectful. "We don't want to rile up accusations of incivility," he said. "That's not the point."

Gansert said she has no problem with members of her caucus asserting their independence. She said she followed custom in seconding the speaker's nomination as minority leader.

"Nevada is a very small state," she said. "Our constituents elect us to be part of the conversation. I think it's very important to work together."

Gansert said she's not concerned about not being able to keep her caucus together when it matters, if it ever does.

Out of four special session bills passed Monday, the Assembly Republicans again split on one that authorized a $160 million state loan from a local government fund. Nine Republicans -- the seven Buckley abstainers plus Pete Goicoechea of Eureka and Joe Hardy of Boulder City -- voted against the bill, while Gansert expressed mixed feelings but voted for it.

Later Monday, however, the Assembly Republicans were united in two party-line votes against bills to change federal land lease payments and change the structure of mining, sales and rental car taxes. The bills passed nonetheless.

"We're always going to have issues that are partisan," Gansert said. "When it comes to a ceremonial vote for speaker, that's not where I'm going to debate. I'll debate in committee, on the floor, on the issues."

Buckley, who opened the session Monday morning with a dire speech about the fiscal situation the state faces and the need for action, shrugged off the silent protest, which she said she had not noticed because she preferred to focus on doing the people's business.

"I think there are some more important issues facing our state," she said.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.